Supporting ESL Students

Amanda Davey 903085A

Introduction

An inclusive curriculum caters for students of varying needs. It celebrates and recognises diversity and aims to engage all students in intellectually challenging learning experiences.

ESL Acronyms
There are a few different terms that may be used when to referring an ESL student:

ESL English As A Second Language

ELL English Language Learner

LBOTE Language Background Other than English

EAL English As An Additional Language

It is vital we are prepared to support our ESL students and provide them with the same amount of support as other students with special needs.

The ESL Student

Students will not learn English simply by emersion. The language and social needs of ESL students must be identified and supported appropriately.

Possible ESL Language Backgrounds

Newly arrived with a different language background. Born in Australia and began school with little or no English.

Schooled all or some of their time in Australia and has at least one language other than English.

ESL Students Background

Students

may have had disrupted schooling due to political conflict, war, long term refugee, living in a refugee camp, long term migration process. may have experienced trauma through violence, separation from family members, exposure to physical danger and witnessing death. experience (for student and parent) will be different to the Australian style of teaching. life (for all family members) in Australia may still be stressful due to unemployment, changes in culture, disappointment ,regret, homesickness.

Students

Schooling

Home

Early Days
Spend time getting to know individual student.
Give student opportunities to experience success.

Arrange time to orientate student around the school.

Pace activities and allow quiet time for student to switch off. Watch for signs student is comprehendin g or interacting with others.

Affirm any attempts at communicatio n from student.

If possible, use an interpreter to explain classroom routines.

Initial Classroom Support

Include student in all classroom activities and jobs.

Welcome the use of First Language in all areas whilst encouraging English attempts.
Ask student simple questions to assess language skills.

Provide less structured activities. E.g. painting, creating. Plan lessons that require understanding rather than speaking and writing skills. Allow new arrival to remain silent and watch and listen.

Learning Language
Students develop English by..

Learning the language of content areas: e.g. maths, writing, reading, science

Learning conversational language: e.g. playground language

Learning about grammar: e.g. syntax, punctuation, etc.

Learning through language: making connections and cognitive development using language.

Conversational Language

Informal environments like the playground, have a strong influence in the development of English proficiency.
Language for making friends and developing social networks. It relies on face to face contact, gestures, body language and visual context.

Strong motivation for the learner to learn.

Content Language
Content language is very different to conversational
language.
Content language is the language required to learn in maths, science, reading, inquiry etc.

Takes longer to learn because it is abstract with less concrete, visual clues to support meaning.

Less motivation to learn.

It is the language associated with higher order thinking skills.

Grammar

Grammatical knowledge supports English learning.

Needs to be taught through communicativ e activities.

Using authentic text is desirable when focusing on structure.

Focus on meaning first while including grammar focus.

Focusing on grammar through authentic situations and text has shown to improve fluency.

Planning for Learning

ASSESS

Assess students language needs through questioning and ongoing observations during classroom activities.

LANGUAGE curriculum, language in MODEL

: Identify language needs required in the

e.g. what specific terms, key words and structure will be needed and used by students content areas. Plan opportunities to model language in the curriculum. Provide activities that give students to practice and extend content language and grammar structure.

PRACTISE: opportunities

Oral Language Strategies

Oral language activities promote the use of English and are vital for students language to develop. Talking allows students to express ideas, hypothesize, explain etc. Supports the development of written language and reading.
Provide opportunities for ESL students to converse with competent English speaking peers. Provide activities to talk while doing .

Plan experiences for interaction between peers, teachers and other audiences.

Activities that allow practice and extension of known language. Opportunities to report back to an audience.

Activities need to have a genuine purpose

Interactive Classroom

Activities may include a grammar focus.

Activities that support Language

Is talking required? Do students have enough time? Will students interact?

Communicative Activities
Are children problem solving, predicting etc ?
REASON OPPORTUNITY PURPOSE

Do they reinforce content areas?

Are children in a group speaking and/or listening?

Will students language be stretched?

Communicative Activities
Many interactive language activities can be incorporated into the curriculum to provide opportunities to extend and practice content language and grammar.

Some activities incorporate reading, writing and speaking skills within the content areas are:

Problem Solving: Children have to agree to a solution in a small

group or with a partner. Math, science and integrated studies will lend themselves well to this.

Ordering Activities: In small groups or pairs children rank information after reaching a consensus. e.g. sizing of animals from lightest to heaviest. Sequencing: Put a series of pictures in order and recount the events to a group/partner.

Enquiry and Elimination Activities: Children question one another to find relevant information to solve their problem, e.g. Child chooses a card and children question to eliminate.

Barrier Games: Two children sit back to back or in a position where they are unable to view each others information. Child A may have all the information child B requires to complete their task. E.g. crosswords with down clues on one and across clues on the other, one describes from a picture what to draw, the other draws.

Matrix: Students consider information filled in on a table and write words, sentences or pictures to record.
Likes Dogs Dislikes Birds

Joe
Mary

X
X

Sorting and Classifying: Students sort into various categories and justify their reasons.

Reading Strategies for ESL Learners

Shared reading of repetitive books, songs and rhymes Provide texts at childs reading level and if possible cultural content or experience. Reconstruct well known stories that may have known words deleted or jumbled sentences in pairs/groups Listen to books on CD with text that is supported by pictures/diagrams. Sequence stories using pictures or pictures and text with a partner.

Role Play- act out known stories with a group/ interview a character.
Teacher letter/sound relationship within known texts.

Create class books based on shared experiences, hands on

Writing Strategies for ESL Learners

Link writing to other classroom content and context. e.g. integrated unit, recording a maths activity. Model different text types both the process and product. Model and share writing in different genres. Establish a communication book between student and teacher. Child writes anything and teacher responds and models correct grammar/spelling. Write about shared experiences/language experience Use books to model language structure. Allow students to construct a text in pairs/groups with strong writers. Use communicative games to practice language structure e.g. barrier games Provide concrete materials examples of text types, writing checklists, bilingual dictionary, picture dictionary.

Final Thoughts

Learning a new language is frustrating and exhausting. Pace activities and allow quiet time for student to switch off. Give student opportunities to experience success. Praise all achievements and remain positive. Maintain good communication with students parents.